A common problem in military logistics is cargo packaging or pallets suitable for one cargo vehicle but not suitable another cargo vehicle. In particular, the U.S. Army has problems in accepting loads on its land vehicles that are packaged for air travel.
I have invented an adaptor that addresses this problem. The adaptor fits a standard cargo bed having stake pockets disposed along lateral edges of the bed. The adaptor allows the cargo bed to hold air cargo pallets having spaced indents about their peripheries. In particular, the adaptor will allow the cargo bed of the U.S. Army's Palletized Loading System (PLS) to accept the U.S. Air Force's 463L pallets. The adaptor allows palletized loads to ride on rollers along the length of the cargo bed and guides the load in a straight path along the bed. Once the load is in a desired position, the adaptor can quickly fix the pallet relative to the cargo bed.
The adaptor has a base lying on the load bed and it has stakes that closely fit in the pockets of the bed. Guides along the adaptor's lateral edges limit sideways slip of the pallet as the pallet rides along the bed. Extending inward of the adaptor from the guides are lips which limit vertical travel of the pallet. The pallet rides on a set of rollers journalled to roller supports, which are generally parallel to the guides. The lips and base define similarly shaped apertures that are aligned with one another. When locking members pass through the lip and base apertures, they also fit indents on the pallets. Consequently, the pallets are prevented from riding further over the load bed.